Sighting apparatus for ordnance.



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K. VULL ER. SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1906. 1,088,1 91. v Patented Feb. 24,- 191i 3 BHEETB-SHEET 1.

. INVENTEIR A'Trn HNEYJ K. vtiLLER.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANGE. APPLIOAIION FILED AUG. 9, 1906. 1 ,088,] 91 Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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K. VULLER.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1906.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-BHEET 3.

A INVENTDR To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL vonmn, or nnssnnnonr', GERMANY, ASSIGNOB 'ro nnnmrsonn METALL- WAREN- UND uasonmrgnrenmx, or nussnnnonr-nnnnnnonr, GERMANY.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR OBDNANOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Application filed August 9, 1906. Serial No. 329,920.

Be it known that I, KARL VoLLnR, engineer, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at 17 Fiilicherstrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sighting Apparatus for Ordnance; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to sighting apparatus for guns with considerab e elevation, in which the gun barrel can be elevated to the extent corresponding to-the required range independently of the sighting line while the lateral shifting of the sighting line corresponding to the lateral deviation is effected automatically.

According to the present invention the sighting apparatus together with the entire elevating apparatus is rotatable upon the gun trunnions, so that on the adjustment of the sighting line upon themark, or in compensating for the angle of the ground by the spirit level, the elevating apparatus and the gun barrel have to participate in each motion, while the adjustment of the elevation for the distance is effected independently of the sighting apparatus by means of toothed gearing on the side of the gun opposite the sighting apparatus.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 shows a vertical section through the curved guide bar serving for the adjustment of lateral deviation, Fig. 2' is a side View of the entire apparatus from the sighting side, Fig. 3 a horizontal section through the device at Fig. 1, Fig. 4 a side view of the apparatus from the side of the elevating apparatus, Fig. 5 a plan view of Figs. 2 and 4. Fig. 6

' a cross section through the shaft of the elerating apparatus, and Fig. 7 a detail elevation of the rear sight and its attached parts.

The cradle 1 on which the gun 2 slides during the recoil is mounted in the support 3. The laterally projecting arms at the top of the support 3 carry the trunnions 4 and 5 rotatabl mounted in the carriage 6. On

the trunnions 4 and 5 are mounted loosely two arms 7 and 8 the lower ends of which are formed as bearings for the elevating shaft 9. The latter is provided with two pinions 10 engaging in corresponding toothed segments 11 of the cradle support 3. On the one end the shaft 9 carries a worm wheel 12 with which is engaged a worm 13 mounted on the arm 8. By the rotation of the handwheel 14 fixed on the shaft 15 of the worm 13 the elevating shaft 9 can be actuated so as to adjust the gun to the required range. The elevation or the range can be read off on a scale 16 Fig. 4, rotatably mounted in an extension 17 of the arm 8. On the shaft of the scale 16 is fixed a pinion 18 with which gears the toothed segment 19 fixed to the trunnion 5, so that at each movement of arm 8 relativel to the trunnion 5, that is, at each alteration of the elevation the disk scale 16 will be rotated. The disk is inclosed in a casing 21, having a sight hole 20 serving as index by which the position of the scale is read olf.

As before stated, the two arms 7 and 8, can rock upon the trunnion axis. They are guided at'their outer ends by ribs 22 and 23 curved to an arc whose center is the trunnion axis and which are fixed to the upper carriage 6. The arm 7 has a lateral eye 24, Figs. 2 and 5 with which is engaged a screw spindle 25, whose screw nut 26 is mountedrin the eye 27 so as not to shift in the axial direction, and which carries on its outer end the hand wheel 28. For the sake of clearness, the device for preventing dust from entering the nut is omitted. The eye 27 is fixed by apin 29, Fig. 5, placed at right angles to the screw spindle, to a block 30 fixed to the carriage and can thus follow the rocking motion which the screw spindle receives from the oscillation of the arm 7 upon the trunnion. If the handwheel 28 be turned, the spindle 25 will move through the nut, thereby rocking the arm 7 upon the trunnion. The arm 8 is made to follow this motion by means of the elevating shaft- 9. In order however to prevent jamming in the guides and bearings the two arms 7 and 8 are also connected so as to move together as follows. They have at their outer ends toothed segments 31 and 32 gearing with two pinions 33 and 34 upon a connecting shaft 35 mounted in the carriage so that if arm 7 is moved this motion is transmitted by means of segment 31 pinion 33, shaft 35, pinion 34 and segment 32 to the arm 8. The movements of arms 7 and8 and shaft 9 are transmitted to the cradle 1 and gun 2 by the toothed segment 11 as the shaft 9 is prevented from rotating by the self locking worm gear 12, 13.

The sighting apparatus is attached to the arm I. It consists of a bracket 36, Figs. 2 and 5, having a vertical bore over the trunnion axis with which is engaged the pin 37 of the eye 38 by means of a bayonet joint. In the eye 38 is mounted the front end 39 of the connecting bar between fore sight 40 and back sight 41. The rearpart 42 carries theguide 43 of the adjusting bar 44 and back sight 41. The rear part 42 is carried in the bore of a'guide piece 45 which engages with a claw the end of the bracket 36 and is there guided in an are having the axis of the pin 37 for its center, so that the entire sighting apparatus can be turned in a horizontal plane upon the bracket around the axis of pin 37. The turning motion is requisite for adjusting the sighting apparatus for an inclined position of the wheel base, and for lateral deviation due to the rifling pitch. For this purpose the two parts 39 and 42 of the connecting bar are fixed in two sleeves 46 and 47 formed in one piece and carrying at the middle are shaped guide rail 48 having the trunnion axis for its center. The trunnion 4 carries a fixed arm 49 to which is pivotally connected a shoe 50 by the bolt 51, Figs. 1 and 3. The shoe 50 is guided in the guide rail 48. If it be desired to compensate for an inclined Wheel base, the guide rail 48 must always be capable of being set vertical, in order that the sighting line may only move in the vertical plane parallel to the gun axis. If

however the rifiing pitch is to be compensated for, the guide rail must be inclined to the vertical plane at an angle dependent upon the charge of-the gun.

The adjustment of the rail 48 is effected by turning the entire connecting bar upon its axis, the said bar rotating in the eye 38 and the guide piece 45, thereby carrying the rail 48 with it into a correspondingly inclined position. On the guide piece 43 of the sight bar 44 is provideda worm with hand wheel 52 with which is engaged a toothed segment of the guide piece 45, which is curved to a center corresponding to the axis of the connecting bar, so that on turning the hand wheel 52 the guide 43 will be turned around the axis of the connecting bar, and will thus effect the variation of the angle of the guide rail 48. This inclination can be read ofl on the spirit level 53 which is provided with a scale corresponding to the several positions of the guide rail.

Fig. 7 shows a view of the guide 43 with the sight bar 44. On the side of the guide 43 is placed a spirit level 54 which can be adjusted in the usual arc-shaped ide-way, by a hand-wheel 55, and serves or the adjustment of the sight according to the angle of terrain. The spirit level 53 is similarly arranged. It can be adjusted in an arcshaped guide way through the medium of a worm-gear, by means of a hand-wheel 56. The arc-shaped guide-way is graduated to correspond to the different loadings of they The mode of operating in sighting is as follows: The sighting gunner sets the level 53 corresponding to the charge of the gun for compensating for lateral deviation on account of the rifling pitch, and he then turns the hand wheel 52 until the level is brought to normal position. With direct fire he then adjusts the sighting apparatus vertically by turning the hand wheel 28. The lateral direction is given in the known manner by the lateral adjusting apparatus. Independently hereof the gunner in charge of the breech closure can brin the gun to the required elevation by turning the hand wheel 14 until the disk scale 16 shows the correct range. With indirect fire the sighting gunner, after adjusting the guide rail 48, turns the hand wheel 55, for adjusting the level 54 according to the known angle of the ground, and he then brings it to the normal position by turning'the handwheel 28. The lateral direction is given by the lateral adjusting apparatus and the adjust ment for range is effected by the breech closure gunner.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is v 1. The combination, with a carriage, and a gun mounted thereon and adjustable in elevation, of two members movable in arcs concentric with the axis of elevation of the gun, a sight carried by one of said members, means for causing an angular movement of said sight-carrying member relative to the carriage, a segmental gear carried by each member, a shaft journaled in the carriage, pinions on said shaft and in mesh with the segmental gears, a gun-elevating shaft carried by both of said members, means carried by one of the members for rotatingthe gun-elevating shaft, and means operated by the said shaft for elevating the 2. The combination, with a carriage, trunnions journaled in said carriage, and a gun carried by said trunnions, a pair of segmental members journaled on said trunnions, a sight carried by one of said members, and means for moving both said members synchronously, of.a gun-elevating shaft journaled in said members, means carried by one of said members for rotating said shaft, a segmental gear arranged to move the gun in elevation, and means carried by said shaft for actuating said segmental gear.

3. The combination, with a carriage, a gun and trunnions arranged to support said gun and permit its adjustment in elevation, of two arms journaled on said trunnions, a

shaft journaled in said arms, a pinion carried by said shaft, a segmental rack in mesh with said pinion and arranged to move the gun in elevation, a worm wheel on said shaft, a worm carried by one of the arms and in mesh with the worm-wheel, means for operating said worm, a range scale and index arranged to give indications which are a function of the vertical angle between the gun and one of the arms, a sight carried by the other arm and means intermediate the carriage and the sight-carrying arm for moving the latter.

4. The combination, with a carriage, agun and trunnions arranged to support said gun and permit its adjustment in elevation, of 'two arms journalecl on said trunnions, a shaft journaled in said arms, a pinion carried by said shaft, a segmental rack in mesh with said pinion and arranged to move the gun in elevation, a worm wheel on said shaft, a worm carried by one of the arms and in mesh with the worm-wheel, means for operating said worm, a range scale and index arranged to give indications which are a function of the verticalangle between the gun and one'of the arms, a sight carried by the other arm, means intermediate the carriage and the sight-carrying arm for moving the latter and means intermediate the gun and sight for shifting the latter laterally to compensate for drift.

5. The combination, with a carriage, a gun mounted thereon and-adjustable in elevation, and arms journaled about the trunnions, of a shaft journaled in said arms, means carried by one of the arms for rotating said shaft, means intermediate the shaft and gun for moving the gun relative to the arms, means intermediate the carriage and the arms for moving said arms relatively to the carriage, a range scale arranged to give indications which are a function of the vertical angle between the gun and one ofthe arms, a sight bar rotatable about its axis and carried by one of the arms, said sight bar being angularly movable transversely to its axis, sights carried by the sight bar, and 1 means intermediate the gun and the sight bar for rotating'it on its axis to compensate for drift.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

KARL VOLLER. Witnesses:

WM. ESSENWIEN, ALFRED FOHLMEYER. 

